Improvement in carriage-top adjusters



O. DUDLEY. Carriage-Top Adjuster.

' at'ented April 16,1878.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

CHARLES DUDLEY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO 0. B. NORTH 8500., OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRIAGE-TOP ADJUSTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,527, dated April16, 1878 application filed January 9, 1878. v

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES DUDLEY, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inCarriage-Top Adjusters; and I do hereby declare the following, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,and represent, in-

Figure 1, inside view; Fig. 2, outside view.

This invention relates to an improvement in device for adjustingcarriage-tops, having for its object to permit the top to be turnedforward or back; and it consists in the construction and combination ofparts as hereinafter fully described, and more particularly specified inthe claim.

A is the body or seat iron to which the top is to be jointed. It issecured to the seat or body, according to the style of carriage, and atthe point where the joint for the slat-iron is usually applied. Forconvenience of at tachment, the iron is constructed with lugs a, orother suitable device.

B is the joint where the slat-iron O is attached to the body-iron A, andso as to turn freely thereon. The body-iron A is constructed with aslot, D, below the joint B, and in segmental shape, of which the joint Bis the center. The slat-iron 0 extends down over this slot, forming anarm, E. A stud or bolt, d, on the arm E passes through the slot 1), andon the opposite side is a thumb-nut, F, by means of which the arm E maybe firmly clamped to the iron A, and so that the slatiron may be turnedforward or back, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. -1, from one extremeof the slot D to the other, and then reversed, or at any intermediateposition.

The bow-irons H H (more or less in number) are jointed to the principalor slat iron 0 in the usual manner, and to these irons C and H, the bowsare secured, also in the usual manner; hence, when the top is in theupright positionthat is, the usual normal positionif the occupant of thecarriage desire that the front should extend farther forward, so as toprotect him from rain or sun, he simply loosens the thumb nut or screwF, and turns the top forward to the desired extent, and then secures itagain by setting the thumbnut F. This avoids the fiy or auxiliary topoften applied to the front of the top for the same purpose, or makingthe top of so great extent, as it often is, to give this desiredprotection to the occupant.

The top may in like manner be turned back bodily, and without the usualjoint or brace from the rear bow to the seat or body. The usual brace orstay is necessary between the rear and forward bows.-

In order to support the bows when the top is thrown back, a lug, e, ismade on the bodyiron A, in rear of the joint B, and so that when the topis thrown back, as in broken lines, Fig. 2, the rear bow will strike andrest on the lug e, and thus support the top. The lug 0 serves also toprevent the rear bow from falling too much below the other bows when thetop is thrown back.

This applicant is aware that it is not new to make a jointed connectionbetween the top and body of a carriage, .so that the top may be turnedeither forward or back, and therefore does not broadly claim a devicefor this purpose. Neither does he broadly claim an adjustablecarriage-top attached to a bodyiron which has a slot concentric to thejoint, by which to clamp the bows to the body-iron, as such, he isaware, is not new; but,

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the principal slat-iron with the seat or body iron,and jointed thereto, the said seat or body iron constructed with asegmental slot below the joint, and concentric thereto, and the saidslat-iron'provided with an arm extending below the joint, and over saidslot on one side, and with a set screw or nut on the opposite side, toclamp the said slat-iron to and permit its adjustment on the said bodyor seat iron, substantially as described.

CHARLES DUDLEY.

Witnesses J. H. SHUMWAY, H. A. KITSON.

